Thunder
by VampyrKat000
Summary: Ronald Knox has a secret fear, and if you want to find out what it is read it! Rated T to be safe, just some swearing.


Thunder rumbled heavily outside sounding hungry. Ronald Knox jumped nearly ten feet from his bar stool spilling his beer everywhere. The girls squealed jumping out of the way of the foamy liquid's path. He quickly apologized,

"So sorry girls, just got spooked." The blond laughed it off trying to hide the underlining fear forming in the pit of his stomach. "Well," he continued, "I think I should be gettin' going." He flashed one of his famous grins that made every girl's heart melt into gold.

"Awwww… but Knoxie can't you stay just a bit more we were just getting started," they all whined and batted their eyelashes.

"Well," he gave an over dramatic, contemplating look while biting his lip, but jumped again as the thunder rumbled louder this time. He knew he had to get out of there and quick, he might not be able to get home before it hit but he'd be damned if he let all the London division gossip about how scared Knox was when it came to thunder. "No, I really got to go, Mr. Spears really wants me to come in early tomorrow to help file some paperwork in the library," he pouted his lower lips and smiled while waving good bye, praying to whatever god there was they didn't notice his hands shaking.

"Bye Knoxie!" they all called after him, they must not have.

As soon as he got out of that building he noticed how dark it was already. It wasn't raining yet but he saw a huge flash of lighting streak across the sky, and his stomach churn for he knew what was next. A crash of thunder rocked him to the very core and he burst into a run, he needed to get home, to get somewhere safe. It didn't help as the rain came down in huge crashing waves soaking him to the bone and turning his pale skin cold as ice. He ran and ran and ran until he saw something familiar, a building. Did he live there? Was it Eric and Alan's? Maybe Grelle's? He didn't give a damn, it could be a stranger's house, just get him out of this hell. He ran up the stairs and jumped as another crash of thunder came booming through the frigid air. He pounded and scratched on the nearest door.

"Please! Somebody! Help!" he yelled pounding on the green door. "Please!" he pounded harder. He couldn't tell if somebody was coming because his heart was racing so fast and it pounded his ears. He saw the flash from behind and screamed covering his ears as the door was opened.

William opened the door not knowing who the hell was screaming at this ungodly hour. He was really surprised to see Ronald Knox. He pulled him-slash-was-pushed-himself into the house.

He shut the door and looked at his co-worker, the blond was soaked head to toe and a puddle was already collecting underneath his feet on William's nice cherry wood floors, he had his hands over his ears and was shaking like a leaf although William thought it was because the blond was cold.

"Knox, what on earth are you doing in weather like that? Here," William went to leave to go get a towel but Ronald latched onto his arm.

"Please! Don't leave!" the blond begged and William went to argue until the thunder crashed and Ronald fell to William's feet and started shaking harder.

"Okay… okay…" he knelt down and grabbed his co-workers hand, "_let's_ go get a towel to dry you off and then we'll talk."

Ronnie nodded and crawled onto his feet. William led him through a hall way away from windows and pulled out some dry black towels from a small closet. He brought Ronald over to a couch laying a towel down first and used another to cover the blonde's head. William saw the flash of lighting and could only watch as the blond jumped three feet off the couch.

"Hey, calm down…" he said trying to dry the blond but water kept dripping off of him anyways. "Now let's get those clothes off of you okay?" He was acknowledged by a slight nod. William knelt down and pulled off the smaller man's white oxford shoes first, and then the soaked soaks, then he quickly moved up further stripping everything wet off of the blonde only leaving him in a pair of also soaked boxers. "There now let's get you in some dry clothes…" he finally sighed when the dripping stopped.

The blond followed his superior through the window less hallway again and he didn't jump as high this time when the thunder crashed through the house. His hand was within William's and he felt safe at the moment. He let his mind wonder as William pulled him into dark room and set him on a bed. He wondered why he had recognized his superior's building or unconsciously found what door was his? Has he been here before? He couldn't remember for the life of him. He didn't even react when he felt the last of his clothing striped.

William pushed the blond backwards and pulled his boxers away from his ankle and held out some dry clothes and was helping the blond back into them hoping that they might fit him. Ronald couldn't figure out what was going on. Nobody undresses him and redresses him, well with the exception on Alan and Eric. He felt his superior's hand around his so he didn't care what happened as long as he was there holding his hand.

When William dragged him away from the bed again the blond mindlessly followed. Will set him against the couch again and let go of his hand for just a moment to grab two glasses and a bottle of whisky. "This will warm you up." He poured a small glass and sat next to Ronnie with a small glass of his own. The blond took it eagerly and drank it down giving a light cringe at the burning in the back of his throat. "Th-thank you," he whispered.

"Now Knox, might I ask why you were running around in the cold dark rain if you have a… aversion to thunder?"

Ronald watched his glass be refilled and looked at all the nice things that his boss has done for him, and his numbing fear was leaving him. "I… uh…" he blushed he didn't want to look stupid and weak in front of his boss and the man he secretly loved. He took a deep breath and flashed his famous smile. "I was out drinking and storm blew in without me noticing, guess I was having too much fun and all."

William raised a brow. "Knox… might I ask you why you always come to my place after the bar lately?"

"Whatcha mean boss?"

"Well you see, I have opened my door to a drunk blond for the last two nights and for four nights before that I have awoken to a passed out blond outside my door… What is going on Knox? You're slipping just as Sutcliff did and truthfully I don't think I could handle another Sutcliff," he sighed.

"S-sorry boss… I uh… sorry," he sighed looking down failing at the not-looking-stupid-and-weak-thing.

"Knox what has happen to you… what is wrong."

"I just… can you not judge me?"

"I would never judge you, speak freely."

"I don't like myself, I mean I'm not happy. I wake up go to work, work hard to stay away from overtime, go to the bar, get picked up by some pervert, go home with them, wake up and do it over again. I feel… like I don't deserve better."

"You do deserve better you know that right?" William said leaning back and taking a sip of his whisky.

"That's what Eric always says," slipped his face into his hands, "but I just can't see it, I'm not depressed, I don't want to kill myself or anything I just. I want to prove it. I want to prove I'm worthy of living, when so many died. I…" Ronald jumped again as the thunder shook the whole house.

"Ronald… what ever happen I want you to know that you do deserve to live. You deserve more than to just be used, I think you are worth a lot more." He drank the rest of his drink and Ronald followed suit. William got up and held out his hand. "Tonight is too bad for me to walk you home again, and it's too late. You will stay here, but I don't have a guest room so you'll have to stay in my room."

Ronald nodded and followed him to bed, he mindlessly thought of the things that William would want to do to him; everyone looked at him like that, even Eric and Alan at times. He hated it. He was an object of desire. He liked William though and his chest tightened at the thought of the man he loved taking advantage of him, but he just decided that he would be with William just for board, and to not be alone this storm.

When he got into the bed room he saw William pulled the blanket back and crawled into bed and look over, "Well are you coming or not?"

Ronald shook his thoughts away and crawled into next to William who was really the only man he ever thought of in that way, but they were always in love when it happened, well in his thought at least. William made it clear everyday he doesn't need human companionship. The blanket being thrown over his body took him away from his thoughts again. He silently waited but nothing happened, but William did pull him off the edge of the bed towards to middle and slipped one arm over his waist. Ronald laid there for about two minutes before relaxing, the thunder was hasn't hit for at least five minutes. He curled his face into the pillow and let a yawn escape him.

He should have known William would never want him like that. He kind of felt a little disappointed, which made him want to scream. He was so hypocritical, he hated the attention and yet he lived for it. It was all he had in life. He tugged on his hair lightly trying not to lose his sanity for one more night.

William noticed Ronald's dismay and held him tighter. "Are you okay? Is the thunder still bothering you?"

"Yeah, but I'm okay here, I just don't like to be with it alone… Boss?"

"Yes?" he whispered in Ronald's ear which made him lightly shiver.

"Why don't you… want me…?" he scrunched his eyes shut waiting for a cruel answer.

"I want you to sleep well for work tomorrow, I want you to feel better about yourself, and I want you to feel safe. If you came here to meaninglessly sleep with me then you are sadly mistaken for thinking that I would ever take advantage of you," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Why, why do you think that you'd do all of this for me if you don't get sex?"

"Because, I like you. I've liked you since the first time I meet you in the academy. You as my student showed much potential, and now you are my subordinate. Now I'll take care of you as my friend. Friends do not take advantage of other friends, especially when their friend is down. You may count on me, and on our friendship," when Will finished he laid his head back down on the pillow and tightened his grip on Ronald as he saw the flash of lighting.

Ronald squirmed until he was facing William and curled up, "Thanks Boss," and didn't even flinch when the thunder hit.


End file.
